How to set Christmas and holiday hours on Google Business Profile

Why do holiday hours on Google matter?

Because people check Google before they set off or pick up the phone. If your profile says you’re open on Boxing Day and you’re not, someone has a wasted trip and you may get an unhappy review.

It works the other way too. If you’re open between Christmas and New Year when competitors aren’t, telling Google means you can pick up their customers. For trades, that might be the difference between getting the emergency call or missing it.

How do I add special hours on Google Business Profile?

These steps come from Google’s help page on business hours:

1. Go to your Business Profile. Searching your business name on Google while signed in usually brings it up.
2. Select Edit profile, then Hours.
3. In the Business hours section, click the edit icon next to Special hours.
4. Confirm a suggested date, add a custom date, or open an existing one to change it.
5. For a closed day, leave Closed ticked. For a day you’re open, switch off Closed and enter your times.
6. If you open twice in one day, use More, then Add hours, to add a second set.
7. Click Save.

If you manage lots of locations, Google also lets you add special hours through a bulk upload spreadsheet. Mark a full-day closure with an “x”.

Which dates should I add for Christmas 2026?

Christmas Day falls on a Friday this year, Boxing Day on a Saturday and New Year’s Day on a Friday. When a bank holiday lands on a weekend, a substitute weekday is given, so check the GOV.UK bank holidays page for the exact days. Scotland and Northern Ireland have some different dates.

Add every date where your hours differ, even by an hour. Google also recommends confirming your hours on official holidays when they’re the same as usual. That tells customers the hours are accurate and stops the “hours might differ” warning putting people off.

Why aren’t my special hours showing on Google?

The most common reason is your main hours setting. Google says special hours only show if your profile is set to “Open with main hours”. If you’ve chosen “No hours” or “Always open”, special hours won’t appear.

Other things to check:

• You saved the change. It’s easy to close the box without clicking Save.
• You picked the right year. Suggested dates are usually right, but check custom ones.
• You’re looking at the right profile if you have more than one location.
• Changes can take time to appear, so check again the next day.

When should I use temporarily closed instead?

If you’re closed for seven days or more in a row, Google says to mark the business as temporarily closed rather than adding special hours. Special hours are meant for changes lasting up to six days in a row.

For example, a café shutting from 24 December to 4 January is closed for more than a week. Marking it temporarily closed is clearer for customers. Remember to reopen it on Google when you’re back, or people will think you’ve shut for good.

Can someone else change my Google hours?

Yes. Anyone can suggest an edit to your hours. Google’s help text now says you’ll be told about some edits and have four days to respond. If you don’t, Google may publish the change when other public sources, like your website, back it up.

So update your website’s opening hours at the same time as your Google profile. If your site still says “open 7 days” over Christmas, it could undo your hard work.

Google is also testing a way to set hours by describing them in plain words, which AI then turns into set hours. If you see this option, read the result carefully before saving.

Do I need to tell customers another way too?

It helps. Pin a post with your Christmas hours on Facebook and Instagram, add a line to your email signature and update your voicemail message. Customers who don’t check Google will still know when you’re open.

What about other bank holidays in the year?

Use the same steps for every bank holiday, not just Christmas. Easter, the May bank holidays and the August bank holiday all catch businesses out. Google often suggests these dates in the Special hours section, so you only need to confirm them.

A simple habit helps: at the start of each quarter, open your profile and check the next few months of special hours. It takes five minutes and saves a lot of wasted trips and grumpy reviews.

Should I add holiday hours to my website too?

Yes. Put a short “Christmas opening hours” note on your contact page and homepage. If your site uses opening hours schema, Google’s local business structured data guide says to use the validFrom and validThrough fields only for seasonal changes, so you can mark the Christmas dates clearly.

If schema sounds like a foreign language, our schema markup guide for small businesses explains it in plain English. And while you’re in your profile, our Google Maps listing guide and Christmas marketing ideas cover other quick wins for December.

FAQs

How do I add holiday hours to Google Business Profile?

Go to your profile, choose Edit profile, then Hours, then the edit icon next to Special hours. Add each date, set it as closed or enter your hours, and click Save.

Why are my special hours not showing on Google?

Special hours only show if your profile is set to Open with main hours. Also check you clicked Save, chose the right year and are editing the right location.

Should I confirm holiday hours if they’re the same as normal?

Yes. Google recommends confirming hours for official holidays even when they match your usual hours, so customers know they’re accurate.

When should I mark my business as temporarily closed?

If you’re closed for seven or more days in a row, or for an unknown period. Special hours are for changes of up to six days in a row.

Can customers change my Google opening hours?

They can suggest edits. Google says you’ll be notified about some edits and have four days to respond, so keep your website hours matching your profile.